Electric toaster



Julylzz, 1952 G. w. DOOLEY 2,604,032

ELECTRIC TOASTER Filed Dec. 11, 1945 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR.

GEORGE W. DOOLEY BY a gg Patented ''July 22, 1 952 3;

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ppuc'autnpeemeq 11,1945,- seri lndisazo 1:

increase thein which the exterior casing including the han-' dles of the device and the control'mechanism, are kept relatively-cooL- 1i v Other more specific objects and features of'the invention Will -be apparent from the description to follow ofa' particular embodiment of the invention.

V Brie'fly,'--the present inventioneomprises 1 a toaster for receiving one or more slices of bread, in which electrical heating elements of open construction are juxtaposed to the bread slices and air is circulated by a power drivenfan through the heating elements and against the bread. The heated air dehydrates the-bread or the sur-- face thereof, and the heat applied to the bread, in part by conduction from the heated air and in part by'radiationdirectly from the heatin'gelements; is effective .to quickly. brown the bread;

In the drawing... 14s v Fig. 1 is a plan view. of one form of toaster in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the broken-line-II-II of Fig- 1; r v

v Fig.- 3. is a cross section taken in the :plane III-IIIof Figure-2; a Fig. 4- is a cross section taken in the plane.

IVIV ofFig.-2;

Fig. 5 is apartialhorizontal section taken in the plane V.V of Fig.4: and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the. bread support-: ing element containinga Sliceof bread. c,

Referringto Fig. 1 the toaster therein depicted. has asmooth outer casing 10', having ahandle I I secured thereto at one end and having at its other end a door I2 having a handle [3.

Referring to Fig. 2, the casing II] is preferably of stamped metal and is open at the .bottom,'the. lower edges-of the casing being secured. to abase frame It whichmaybe ofwood.orplasticconstruction,. and extends continuously; around the lower edgeof the casing-I0... i

Also secured to thebase l4,- and irrgenerally spaced relationto the 'outercasing l0 is aninner .7 Claims. (airway) and transverse walls 21 and 2-2 define a toasting toasted'are positioned.-- Thus, referring to Fig. 3,

there-are four sets of heating elements, 24', 25, 26

and 21 with means-for supporting a slice of bread 2'8 'betwe'en the heating elements 24 and 25,

and supporting a slice of bread 29between the heating elementsZt and 21. 3 Each of the heating elements 21 comprises a series of spaced mica strips 30 supported at their upper .'.and lower ends by rods.3I-.

Insulating washers 32 (Fig. 2) are mounted on theL-rods 31 intermediate. each successive pair of mica strips 30, and the strips and washers 32 are compressed together by nuts 34,. screwed on to the opposite ends of the :rods'3l. The rods 3| extend through, thewtransverse walls 21 and 22 at. their opposite ends and the nuts 34 areexterioriof the walls so that they not only clamp the mica strips-30 and, the insulating washers 32 together, but alsosupport the assembly 'from the transverse wallsil and 22. j

:The heating element proper of each of the units 24, 25, 26 and 21 comprises aresistance Wire35 which is looped back and forth in notches 36 provided in the edges of the mica strips 30. All of the resistance wires 35 are connected together either in parallel or in series so that they arenenergized simultaneously; .It will be observed that the transverselyextending. spaced apart, qmica strips 30 provide support and mechanical protectionfor the resistance wire 35 while permitting free flow 'of air transversely hrough each heating element past th resistance wire thereof r The bread slices 28,.and129 are supported in a gpairof spaced apart bread trays 38, each concasing comprising side walls l5 (Fig. 3), after wall- I 6} a pair ofspaced'zbottom walls.

and transverse walls-211; 2*! and 22.-

"and. I8,

sisting of a base. (Fig. 6). secured to and extending from the door l2 so that they are removab e 'with'the'door. Theinner end of each base 39.1,is,turned up to form a vertical wall 40 for retaining the bread against longitudinal movement out Of the tray, and open side walls or guides .4! are provided for retaining the bread slices in vertical position without appreciably shielding thebread irom the heat. As shown in Fig. 6.;the .side members 4| can, if desired, be given amornamental or significant design which will belimpressed upon the sides of the slices of toast due to the shadow effect of the side members... a

,As previouslyindicated, :animportant-Vieature of .thepresent sinventionizis the forced circula:

24, 25, 2s and.

AA r A otherwise closed except'for inlet holes 45 (Fig-2). in the transverse wall 2|, which holes .45 com:

municate the air passages 42, 43 and 44 'witha chamber46 defined between the transversewalls 28 and 2|. When the device is in operation, airis de ivered into the chamber 48 through an opentemperature. The blower draws air from a space 68 between the walls 62 and 61 through an inlet hole 89, and discharges it through holes 18 in the wall 66 and the space surrounding the motor 59. The exhaust of air from the chamber 68' by the blower 65 produces a suction of air inwardly through holes II in the handle H and through holes 12 in the handle [3. Thus; air entering the holes H in handle ll flows through'the hollow handle and through an aperture 13 in casing I0 below the handle into the space between the wall l9 and easing ID, from which it is drawn into the space Gil'through an aperture 14. Air entering the; holes 72. in the handle [3 likewise fiows through the hollow handle l3 and through an .zaperture'lfiinthe door l2 below the handle into a ing 41 in the wall from a blower 48, and 7 through an aperture 49 in the wall 20 from a blower 50. sages 42, 43 and 44 is closed by the transverse wall 22, which wall has vertical slots therein to permit entry and withdrawal of the bread trays Theair entering the passages 42, 43 and 44,

' through the inlet holes 45 in the transverse wall 2|, flows transversely'from the passages between the mica strips of the heating elements 24, 25, 26 and 21, becomes heated ,as it does so by the hot resistance wires 35,, and impinges against the sides of the breadqslices 28 and 29. The hot air penetrates the bread to .a certain extent, but in the main it is diverted upwardly and downwardly along the faces ofthe slices and escapes from the bread compartments through holes 52 in the top wall l6 and through holes 53' in the bottom wall I]. As is clearly shown .in'Fig. 2, .the air passing upwardly through the holes 52' enters a passage. 54 defined between the wall "[8 and the outer casing l0, flows rearwardly through'this passage and passes through an aperture 55 back into the blower 48, which then .recirculates it."- Likewise, air passing through the apertures 53 in the wall I1 enters a passage 56 defined between the walls I! and I8, fiows rearwardly, and passes through an aperture 58 back into'the blower 58 and isrecirculated.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the blowers 48. and 50 are mounted onopposite ends of a shaft 51 of an electric motor 59, which is mounted on the wall20; The'blowers 48 and 50 are contained withinblower casings having 'a. peripheral wall l9 (Figs. 2 and 5) which is detachably connected as by bolts 80 to the rear edge of a longitudina wall 6|, the forward edge of which is secured as by welding to the transverse Wall till. The; housing for the blower 48 is completed by the upper wall I6 and a lower wall 62 which may be The front end of each of the pas-L".

space 11 within the door, thence through an opening '18 near the bottom of the door into a spaceqTS between the wall l8 and a bottom wall 80. The air flows rearwardly through the space 19 and into the space defined between the wall 19 v and the outer casing I8, where it mixes with the made in two half sections, one ofwhich is secured to the wall I 9 and the other of which is secured to thewall' Zllandthe wall 6 I. The nous-f.

ing for the blower 58 is completed bythe'hori zontal wall I! and'a horizontal wall 83 which may be made in two' sections, one secured to the wall 1'9 and the other secured to thewall 20 and r In addition to the blowers 48 and 58'which cir-- cula'te air; through the heatingelemen'ts on to thebread 'to facilitatethe toasting thereof, a third blower ts tnig. m is provided on the motor-shaft 51; -This' blewer islmoun ted in a housing defined by the walls :20; =I9-a1d'6l and two horizontal wallsfili'andfi'lj This blower 65 is for the purpose of circulating cooling air-to maintain the handles, the timing mechanism 'and the motor-lat aaasonably low air drawn in through thehandle II and enters the blower 85.

The air discharged from the blower 65 through the holes '18 (Fig. 4) flows around the motor 59 and is discharged through a hole 8| in the side wall [5 and through a hole 82 in the outer casing l8.

The structure described may be adapted either for non-automatic or automatic operation. If

non-automatic operation is desired, any type of.

manual switch can be employed to open and close a power circuit to the heatingelements and the.

motor 59.

However, the structure is readily adapted for automatic operation, in which case the motor and heating elements may be energized througha switch 13*;3 (Fig. 2) having a plunger 84 which closesithe circuit to the motor and heating elementswhen it is depressed-and opens the circult. when it is released. The plunger 84 is adaptedto be depressed. by a projection 85 on a rod 816 which extends longitudinally through the space 19 and is supported for longitudinal move.- ment near its rear end by'a guide'bracket 81 secured to the wall I8. The forward end of the rod 86 extends through a hole in a front wall 8.9, which slidably supports-it.

When the toaster is not in use,- the rod 86 is urged into a forward positi'on'by a. spring'90 compressed between the bracket 81 and the projection 85, in which position't'he switch plunger 84 is released and the switch is .open. 'To operate the toaster, bread is placed in the bread racks I 38. while the door ll is either partially open'or entirely removed from the toaster after which termined time the: latch 92 is rockedout 'ofene.

gagement with'thetnot'ch 93 permitting the spring 98 to return the rod to the left, thereby opening the switch 83-and also kicking the door 12 partially open to indicate that theoperation is completed. g

Various types-of timing mechanisms are known and may be employed to: release ,thelatch, 92,, and such timing mechanisms. .do not of themselves constitute a part of the present invention. There is shown in the drawing a timing unit 94 which may have a top wall so arranged that when the wall is depressed it gradually returns to an upper position. The time of return may be controlled by a valve connected by a shaft 95 to a knob 96 on the outside of the casing. In operation, when the door I2 is first pressed home, a spring dog 98 on the rod 86 rides along a cam spring 99 and presses the latter down against the top of the timer 94 to depress it. The top of the timer thereafter gradually returns as previously mentioned and after a predetermined interval rises against the left end 92a of the dog 92 to rotate the latter out of the notch 93. As the rod 86 is returned by the spring 90, the dog 98 rotates to slip over the cam spring 99.

Although for the purpose of explaining the invention one embodiment thereof has been described in detail, numerous departures from the exact construction shown can be made without departing from the invention which is to be limited only to the extent set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the type described comprising: a pair of generally flat, parallel, electrical heat radiating elements pervious to air fiow transversely therethrough and spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a slice of bread; means cooperating with said heating elements and defining therewith a bread chamber for supporting a slice of bread between said elements in direct heat-absorbing relation thereto; air blowing means for delivering a forced draft of air; and passage means for conducting air from said blowing means through said heating elements into said bread chamber.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 including second passage means connecting edges of said bread chamber to the inlet of said blowing means for producing in conjunction with the first-mentioned passage means a closed circulation of air from the blowing means through'said heating elements to said bread chamber, and thence back to said blowing means.

3. An electric toaster comprising: a casing; air-pervious electric heating elements positioned within said casing; means for supporting a slice of bread to betoasted between said heating elements; an electric motor in said casing; a first blower and a second blower driven by said electric motor; passage means connecting said first blower with said air-pervious heating elements whereby said first blower circulates air through said heating elements onto bread to be toasted; other passage means defining a flow path for air through portions of said toasterto be cooled, and means including said second blower for circulating air through said flow path.

4. An electric toaster comprising: a casing;

means for supporting an article to be toasted within said casing; electrical heating means within said casing for toasting an article supported therein; a hollow handle on said casing; and means including an electric blower in said casing for circulating cooling air through said hollowhandle to cool it.

5. An electric toaster as described in claim 4 in which said hollow handle has apertures therein communicating the interior of the handle with the exterior thereof, and in which said means for circulating cooling air includes duct means connecting the intake of said electric blower to said hollow handle whereby said blower draws cooling air into said handle through the apertures therein.

6. An electric toaster comprising: a casing having an opening therein; means for supporting an article to be toasted within said casing; eelctrical heating means within said casing for toasting an article supported therein; a hollow door removable from said casing for closing said opening therein; and means including an electric blower exterior of said hollow door and in said casing for circulating cooling air through said hollow door when it is in position to close said opening. 7

7. An electric toaster as described in claim in which said hollow door has a hollow handle thereon, the handle having apertures connecting its interior with its exterior, the interior of the handle being connected to the space within said hollow door; said air circulating means including passage means in said casing and an opening in said hollow door for connecting said hollow door to the intake of said electric blower when the door is in closed position with respect to said casing.

GEORGE W. DOOLEY.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number. Name Date 216,346 Read June 10, 1879 610,668 Wilson Sept. 13, 1898 1,088,178 Prentiss Feb. 24, 1914 1,228,956 Noonan June 5-, 1917 1,529,342 Christy Mar. 10, 1925 1,828,542 Padleford Oct. 20, 1931 1,892,117 Perkins Dec. 27, 1932 1,900,737 Rohne Mar. 7, 1933 2,046,471 Lavenburg July 7, 1936 2,106,462 Lindberg Jan. 25, 1938 2,248,867 Hallman July 8, 1941 2,282,082 Newell May 5, 1942 2,339,183 Meyers Jan. '11, 1944 2,344,842 Weeks Mar. 21, 1944 2,414,082 Barclay Jan. 14, 1947 

